The Student Council's Road was not taken
by ZeroXSEED
Summary: Just like the Poem written by Robert Frost, history is written by road not taken. Every man made their choice, and sometimes, they made a different one that expected. This time around, Hikigaya Hachiman decided to be an ordinary student.
1. Chapter 1

Hikigaya Hachiman, 16 years old. Fairly athletic, reasonably handsome, if a bit ragged from bad lifestyle. His family was neither rich or poor, more like upper middle class.

He went to Japan's #1 Elite Shuchiin Academy High School through pure scholarship. It was a hard work, a lot of blood and sweats were shed, nevertheless, here he is, half a year later and this is the second semester of his unusually boring high school life.

He had decided that the idyllic boring life needs to stop. His best friend Shirogane Miyuki have decided to go for Student Council Presidential Election, and ask if Hachiman want to join him in the council.

Hachiman declined.

Part of him wondered, if accepting the invitation was the right thing. Nevertheless, Miyuki respected his decision, and this path separation didn't make two of them any less friendly with each other. The path of near-brotherhood more or less tempered over the course of summer vacation, Hachiman wasn't too worried.

Nevertheless, it was a road not taken, no use crying over spilled milk.

With a bit of rebellious streak, superfluous fund he don't know what to do, Hachiman picked a drowned motorcycle from a semi-famous used bike dealer in Tokyo. To be honest, it wasn't really worthy of bragging, it was purely lifestyle choice. Nevertheless, it might just affect how people view him.

…it was a Yamaha Dragstar 250, a Cruiser bike with low, comfortable ride. And also resembles gangster bike. This surely will never backfire!

It was the first day of the semester and Hachiman ended up, somehow, tangled up with Yakuza group and its Princess. Narrowly escaped with his life and dignity intact, he ended up knowing her more than before, originally as stranger even though the two of them were in the same class.

He gave her a ride to school when traffic jam blocked her family car, so she managed to avoid tardiness on the first day in the semester. She owed him at least that much in the end, among other things.

Her name was Ryuju Momo, the primary heir to Ryuju group, the biggest Yakuza group in Tokyo Metropolitan area. It could be said that they conquered half of Japanese's underworld, though most of their business appear legit.

Eh.

Hachiman wasn't quite as comfortable with her as he was with Miyuki or his sister, nevertheless, Hachiman and Momo built a strong sense of friendship and camaraderie.

Thinking that his chaotic school life more or less stabilized, managed to keep his grade high for one semester, and all that important things, he wonder if he should begin searching potential girlfriend?

Heh.

Asking to get heartbroken again perhaps?

Who knows?

...

Before he knew it, the hectic September had passed and the new Student Council began their work. Shirogane Miyuki was known as the first outsider student to be elected President for a while. The importance of social caste in Shuchiin Academy cannot be overstated, and Miyuki's background as a poor, destitute outsider student reliant on Scholarship was quite a hot topic to argue about. Nevertheless, he gathered enough votes to get elected, thanks to his peerless effort.

Sometimes Hachiman wondered, is there such a thing as a genius at hard work? Because cynically speaking, Shirogane Miyuki was a talentless hack forcing himself into this cruel and unjust academy. Nevertheless, the strength of his determination was what allowed the two of them to be friends like this.

Standing beside him was a deathly cold Goddess of death, or so Hachiman like to call her, the Goddess of lonerdom. The so-called perfect girl incarnate, blessed by numerous talents and achievement, born into one of the most elite families in Japan, the Shinomiya. That is, Shinomiya Kaguya.

All this time, more than half a year, Shirogane Miyuki put so much effort into chasing her shadow. Of course, Hachiman also contributed and helped Miyuki passed multiple trials and tribulations that allow him to be a perfect man worthy of her attention as rival and equal.

Hachiman have an inkling that there's something beyond simple rivalry into their relationship, nevertheless, he decided not to meddle unless asked.

* * *

**生徒会のやり方が選ばれなかった**

**The Student Council's Road was not taken**  
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka  
Written by: ZeroXSEED (Unedited)

Based on: "The Council's Road, not taken" in Questionable Questing

* * *

** Chapter 1 - Hachiman want to speak...**

* * *

It's time for him to begin his second elective class. The previous classes last semester were uneventful, though Miyuki was there so Hachiman never get bored. Nevertheless, Hachiman decided to pick a different subject than him this semester.

Hachiman decided to pick Journalism.

From a practical standpoint, this is basically the densest and productive elective class. You're taught foreign policy, language, general research and publishing, and 100% of the activities were done using computers. In other words, almost everything relevant to the modern job market.

Hachiman wonder what kind of people he'll meet here?

From what he heard, most of the big names went for Calligraphy again this semester, so Hachiman was unlikely to meet a bunch of bigshots. Nevertheless, that's not really a problem for him, as someone who has very few friends in the first place.

Wrong.

It seems that two anomalies had slipped under the radar.

Kashiwagi Nagisa was the Daughter of the President of a major shipbuilding company in Japan, looking at that fact, it sounds like someone Hachiman shouldn't really deal with casually. Though admittedly, it's not as if Hachiman wasn't not chummy enough with Ryuju of all people.

But the second one is even more terrifying.

Shijo Maki was the Daughter of Shijo Group, an offshoot family branch of the Shinomiya who decided to expand outside as the Shinomiya dominated the Japanese economy. Shijo group was a massive multinational conglomerate, and its total wealth and influence were not less than Shinomiya's own, combined.

Along with them, the more noticeable sort of students there was Kino Karen and Erika Kose. Kino Karen was the daughter of Bodansha's CEO, a major publishing company in Japan. Erika Kose, if Hachiman remember, her family owned a Miso Company.

Unfortunately, aside from that, his information on them was fairly limited. Nevertheless, he had to work with what info he had.

And so began the introduction to Journalism class. To be honest, Hachiman studied this ahead of time so it should be easy to relearn everything with a preexisting foundation of knowledge. Nevertheless, Hachiman decided to work at his own pace.

Hachiman decided to keep his work hard as normal.

Part of him felt that it was pointless. To work is to lose, that was something that both him and his father agreed. Unlike normal subjects in mandatory classes, elective classes have no objective grading and examination. It was purely there to fill in for wasted weekdays so that students won't be idle or waste their youth in dangerous stunts, while at the same time learning useful stuff at their own relaxed pace.

However, at the same time, Hachiman also believe that hard works always go rewarded. Unlike dreams who betray many, hard work betrays none. After all, Hachiman wouldn't be here without working hard to earn that damned scholarships.

Part of him still a bit stiff when communicating with people, but it was hardly as bad as it was in middle school. Shirogane Miyuki had been helpfully teaching Hachiman at the very least to stop looking creepy in front of people.

Being proactive allowed Hachiman to get closer to people who nominally away from his reach, especially when he caught their interest. No one dislikes hard worker, people only dislike tryhard attention seeker. And Hachiman is not, he worked hard for his own sake.

The attention one get can be a blessing or a curse, being the center of attention can be tiring and too much hassle.

"What it means to be a journalist?"

What an idle question, but also a very important one.

"Someone who writes a journal about an ongoing or recent event." That would be the literal answer to that question.

"Ehhhh?!"

Ah, there goes again, his trauma came back. What's with girls and laughing incessantly over the smallest thing? It always confused him out, so he decided to smile at her in response. Nice girls are truly the worst!

"You're too hilarious!" Shijo Maki laughed incredulously, her twin tail flailed as she did.

And then there's this bitch!

"Then let me ask something back in response." He told them, "What's the most important aspect of a news piece?"

"It has to be up to date, what use of news about things that people already know." Shijo huffed arrogantly, seriously this girl's ego is bigger than the collective heads of this class can contain.

"Umm, it has to be appealing or catchy?" Kashiwagi guessed, "I mean people need to be interested to know about it in the first place."

"It has to be accurate and authentic." Kino and Kose said, somewhat seriously. As expected of die-hard Mass Media club members, they embody the true core of journalism. Nevertheless, ideological purity never brings you anywhere in this corrupt and unjust world...

The girls ended up arguing among themselves right in front of Hachiman, and he was being ignored completely now. That's not shocking actually, that's more or less expected.

Hikigaya Hachiman was an unknown mob in the eyes of this group, this would not change whether he got to Shuchiin or not...

These four must be really close friends.

He opened his mouth as he leaned on his chair, with arms crossed.

"When it comes to a news piece, it might be true that the most important thing is the truth." He said to them, "The accuracy of the news might be the most important."

"See? He agrees with us." He could swear that Kino's nose seems to grow by a couple of inches with how smug she looked at the moment.

Kino Karen was a beautiful girl, that much Hachiman have to admit. From first glance, her face didn't look fully Japanese at all. Hachiman wasn't sure if it was just recessive genes or she really had foreign blood but that's not important. With her hair being the longest among others, exposing her forehead, Karen radiated unusually feminine aura.

When she stopped talking that is.

Or maybe Hachiman was too prejudiced. That was likely the case.

Kose Erika was much more traditional Japanese beauty, compared to her. She's not exceptional, otherworldly beauty like the famed Shinomiya Kaguya, but that actually makes Hachiman more bothered. It's as if someone like Erika is within his reach, and that thought is terrifying.

Kashiwagi Nagisa had this airy, innocent and childish aura to her. Like a sheet of white silk, it was quite tempting to think she was the type that's easily corrupted. Still, one shouldn't look at people by the cover. Due to her status, she might be more cunning than she appears...

And then there's Shijo Maki. For someone with a physical resemblance to the Goddess Kaguya, she sure lacks even a shred of elegance. Sure, her mannerism was honed, the way she gestures and poses, something like that, the mannerism of a princess. However, in the end, everything was superficial.

This group of four sure is messed up.

Then again, neither Hachiman nor Miyuki fit into the definition of a normal.

"But... that's not necessarily because of a moral standpoint." Hachiman explained.

"Huh, why is that?" Erika raised her eyebrows.

"Think about for that moment, actually, you're girls so you probably understand this more than I do." He awkwardly gestured, "Why do girls like gossips so much?"

The four of them looked at each other.

"Curiosity." He pointed, "Most people don't always seek the truth, they seek affirmation for preexisting bias and belief. I know that's true, it's expected, and so on. Most people don't like being proven wrong, and they'll see affirmation through gossips and tabloid news cycles. At the end of the day, most news pieces are built based on an established narrative. In this sense, Kashiwagi and Shijo are correct. Quick and flashy brings in money."

"Eh?" Kashiwagi looked confused.

"But news piece did not stop at publishing." Hachiman smiled ominously, "As news reached the public, there will be reactions. Some praise, some condemnation, clarification, and corrections will soon follow. And when that happens, the courts will get involved. In other words, lawsuits. When a lawsuit happens, the ultimate defense is always objective truth. Unless you throw a sack of money into lawyers to spin harder than a blender, you're not going to win that."

"Scary." Shijo twitched a bit, though she tried to suppress it.

Karen clapped her hands, "Ah I've heard this before because different countries have a different definition and standard of libel, publishing fake news can be disastrous. Not to mention you can still be sued for secondary damages. Even media giants fell into oblivion when the right lawsuit is brought."

"Exactly." He stood up as he shut down his laptop, "Before thinking about selling your story, always make sure to cover your ass. When you're unsure if the information you have is the truth, put a disclaimer."

"Ehhh, what is that? Disappointing!" Erika cringed in response to his words, not that anyone can blame her. This is the kind of person Hikigaya Hachiman are.

Someone who looked too dimly on modern society, while reveling in it. Still, the fact that he managed to talk with classmates (girls) without stuttering, that's kind of achievement by itself.

This talk about news, gossips, and rumors made him reminisce about something. Something that happened in the past, ah yes, his days in middle school. When he confessed to a girl he liked, the eleventh one to be correct, the news spread among her friends and then...

It was hell.

If the truth can be so hurtful to the victim, what about lies? He could hardly imagine how disastrous that would be.

"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." Hachiman laughed as he put his laptop in his bag, intended to leave. The girls looked confused as they tried to process what he said, especially since he said it in Japanese.

Except for one.

"Wait." Maki looked like she turns serious for a moment as she said, "Edgar Allan Poe, wasn't it?"

Hachiman grinned at her wordlessly as he finally left the door on his way out. Miyuki and Momo both have after-school activities in the council, so Hachiman will be more or less on his own.

...

To be honest, it's been lonely ever since the election passed. As part of going home club, it's not like he can't just study his ass harder than ever. But that felt like too much of a waste. After increasing his rank all the way to the top ten, he knew there was diminishing return in terms of the amount of study time versus an increase in exam grades.

Studying harder might not be worth the hassle. As long as he can stay in the top 50, he can still maintain the scholarship.

But if not studying, what else? Should he buy some random games to play? Maybe too much of a waste of money...

As Hachiman walked down the stairs that connected the Shuchiin's front gate and the main road, he heard someone calling im. "Hikigaya-san?!"

Maybe that's just his hallucination?

"Hikigaya-san, wait! OW!"

Ah, that was actually real. And there were two of them.

As he turned his back to face the people in question, he saw Karen and Erika chasing after him desperately. And thus, it caused them to trip one-third of their way down. Fortunately, Hachiman was there to catch them both by the back. It's probably doesn't hurt all that much, but it's super embarrassing. So embarrassing Hachiman got a second-hand embarrassment. He felt the numbness in his arm began to subside as he let them go.

"Ah, th-thank you." Both girls look flushed and moved away.

Eh, not unexpected. They probably feel icky being touched by someone like him.

"Nevermind that, what do you need?" He asked them.

"Umm, if we're not wrong, you're President Shirogane's closest friend, aren't you?"

"Far as Shuchiin academy concerned yeah." Hachiman told them as he continued walking, "You want to know something about Miyuki or what?"

Those two are members of Shuchiin High's mass media club, why wouldn't they be curious? Besides, they're not going to miss a chance by ignoring his close friend when it comes to information sources. That's just common sense!

"Umm, you said it before that it's best to know the truth before spreading stories but." Karen asked hesitantly, "Was it true that President and Kaguya-sama are going out?"

"You're still insisting about this stupid rumor." Erika rubbed her temple, clearly frustrated with her friend's shipper antic. Then again, it's not like the thought didn't cross Hachiman even once. However, Hachiman knew that Miyuki will never keep a secret this big. Especially with how proud and egoistical he can be about his achievement.

There's no way he'll not brag to heaven if he scored with such high-level girl.

"It's not impossible, but that's not really the case at the moment." Hachiman assured them, "They're not dating, this I'm sure."

Whether they are attracted to each other or just Hachiman seeing what isn't there, only God knows. However, what Hachiman very sure about was the fact that they're not going out.

"What do you mean it's not 'impossible', Hikigaya-san?" Erika looked somewhat perturbed as if she didn't approve the idea in the first place.

"Whether they will go out in the future is unclear, but the possibility is not zero."

Especially with how stubborn Shirogane Miyuki was, trying to get her attention. Come to think of it...

Considering what happens between Hachiman and Miyuki in the last six months, Hachiman probably have a part in fueling that fire. It's kind of disturbing how much Shirogane Miyuki improved as a person as long as he put any effort into it.

Shirogane Miyuki was a parody of wretched human beings, with all of his attributes except his face start in the negatives. Yet, looking at he is now, no one would know the old Shirogane Miyuki was someone who has minimum passing grades and incredibly unathletic.

There's no way his effort to pursue Shinomiya will remain unnoticed. Not by Shinomiya, not by the public at large. But Hachiman wondered why the rumor acts as if his pursuit was reciprocated?

Because Hachiman knew that was not really the case. It was blatantly one-sided rivalry, borderline obsession even.

"At the moment, their relationship is more like rivals than lovers, so you better stop imagining what's not there." He told them, "You'll get killed doing that."

"Rivalry?" Karen blinked in confusion, "Ah, I see! Because of their rivalry, their feelings may turn into love?"

Hachiman saw a glint of hope on Kino's clear eyes, and he regretted the fact that he just put a disturbingly romantic situation in a gullible maiden's mind.

"Yes, but that's just a possibility. Seeing as you're obsessed with truth, the idea that they love each other is false. If they like each other or dating, I would be the first person to know."

"That's probably not going to happen." Erika looked relieved but also disturbed, "I understand, we're not going to talk about this to anyone."

"You better do, else no one knows the sheer anger Shinomiya can incite on unfounded rumors." He warned them.

Karen looked like she's a lost cause, however. But as long as Erika stayed there to rein her, things will probably turn out okay.

"Kaguya-sama isn't that petty, she's so perfect and gallant that something like rumor wouldn't leave any stain on her." Erika frowned in response.

"What, really?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Kaguya-sama is like an angel the world has been looking for!" Karen said with starry eyes.

"Her brilliant light shines upon mankind!" Erika agreed and they, in an incredibly disturbing fashion, intertwined their fingers together.

From a distance, it looked intimate and romantic, but seeing them up close like this was horrifying!

"And I believe President Shirogane is the only one qualified to stand beside her, ahh!" Karen shouted.

Erika's enthralled expression turned dark in response and scolded her friend, "I believe that belief is open to interpretation."

Karen, in response, glared back with a certain intensity. "And I'm afraid I can't let that slide."

Hachiman was absolute speechless, one was a shipper fool and one was a Shinomiya fanatic, He was put between a rock and hard place today, for sure.

But at least they're not nice girls, he couldn't handle nice girls. Not with his trauma.

"By the way, you're done? If there's something else you need, ask away." Hachiman told them.

Erika and Karen looked around confused, before they realized it they ended up in a parking spot not too far away from the school, behind an abandoned factory. This is the parking spot Hachiman normally use.

Normally Hachiman just go through the factory complex with his clumsy parkour skill. Many thanks to Ryuju Momo for teaching him that, and he's been improving every day.

Erika looked like she's afraid of something, "Uh, why are we here again?"

"Oh yeah, we're following Hikigaya-san." Karen finally came back to her senses, "Why are we here, Hikigaya-san?"

He looked at her with an incredulous expression, and then presented the Yamaha Dragstar 250 beside him. "I park my motorbike here, why?"

"Wha! The rumored Shuchiin black rider is you?!"

"What kind of stupid rumor is that?!" He raised his voice in pure and utter disbelief.

"Yeah, there's a rumor circulating the school about one rebel student who's involved with the Yakuza and goes around the town on a giant gangster bike, terrorizing everyone!" Karen explained to him.

He looked at his weedy 250cc bike and sighed, they called THIS compact cruiser a giant? Just how sheltered Shuchiin princesses were?

"Look, I'm on good terms with Ryuju group because my friendship with their daughter, doesn't mean I'm a Yakuza too. Besides which, I didn't break any rules, how could I be a rebel?"

Erika squeezed her eyes, "But you're not allowed to bring motorcycle into school."

"And we're outside school now, so I never break that rule." He insisted.

A legal loophole, bitches! How's that?

"That's true." The duo gave up.

"Umm, Hikigaya-san, are you going somewhere after this?" Karen blushed a bit, "H-how about we have some tea? I know a nice cafe around here."

Hachiman froze for a moment, but racked his brains for a more likely explanation. And found one.

"You want to ask more stuff about Miyuki again?"

"Well, that's too." Karen rolled her eyes aside mischievously, "But more than that, you seem to know a lot about media and journalism."

Erika, on the other hand, doesn't look like she had ulterior motives. "Yeah, it would be nice to talk about it with other boys. As you can tell, our mass media club is exclusively girls at the moment."

Well even if Hachiman agree, he'll never spill bad stuff about Miyuki. To be honest, he dislike Miyuki's fake and show off nature, but Miyuki is a hard worker who's willing to run through a thorny part to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Hachiman respect that part of him.

Hachiman might be a wee bit cynical, but he's not a betrayer.

Even if he agreed to go, there's no need to think deeper and look into anything other than obviously superficial, intellectual interest. They wanted to talk about media and journalism, and nothing else.

"Sure."

Seeing not much reason to reject, he agreed with their invitation and joined them in a little tea time after school. It's not as if he was completely lacking in an ulterior motive, to be honest.

It's been six months since he moved to Tokyo, and no girls ever invited him to anything. Sure there's Momo, but she's a basket case. She probably didn't even think of Hachiman as a real man, and hanging out with Yakuza underlings are far away from romantic.

Hachiman was thirsty, that's a fact. He's horny and romance-starved just like every other healthy 16 years old boy. Being invited by girls like this, why would he refuse?

"Great, where should we go again?" Erika asked, "We don't know if any of these cafes are up to your taste, Hikigaya-san."

"Anything is fine by me, even Saize." He straightforwardly told them.

"Sai..."

"...Ze?"

He fully expected them to laugh right there immediately since it's the absolute least romantic place to go. Girls in Chiba also like that. But, for a casual outing? There's absolutely no better place than that. High school students in Chiba love Saize, Tokyo can't possibly be that different.

"It's a joke." He brushed their confusion away immediately.

"What is Saize?" Karen asked.

"Umm, I think it was one of the Italian restaurant chains?" Erika guessed wildly, "Saize... Saizeriya or something?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Just how much anti-plebs are these Shuchiin girls, not knowing one of the biggest restaurant chains in Japan? Honestly, Hachiman pitied them. These girls were basically like flowers raised in a glasshouse, never knowing nature.

"Saizeriya is the best friend of all poor students everywhere. In other words, it's a heaven for us plebeian." He told them, "It's an Italian-themed Japanese restaurant chain with hundreds of branches all over the country. Their taste is so-so, but the main selling point is the immensely low price. People who have been in Shuchiin for all their lives probably never go to one."

"A place where girls of Shuchiin will never go." Erika's eyes widened and gleaming, "Interesting."

"We can make an article out of this!" Karen agreed with her.

"Please bring us there, Hikigaya-san!" They asked him.

Fuck.

No, that's not an understatement. Even though Hachiman pretend to be calm, the excitement of going with two pretty girls combined with the frustration of their ignorance made him ran his mouth needlessly.

Well, it doesn't help that Saize is one of his favorite places, so he took the matter rather close and personally.

"Just make sure you don't have a food allergy or something." Hachiman warned them, "Also the closest Saizeriya is about 8 minutes walking from here."

...

Instead of having they walk he decided to commute them one by one via his motorcycle. He could tell how scared and ashamed they were with how they tried not to hug him but also gripped his jacket tightly since they were afraid of falling down.

And so here they go, Saizeriya.

"So crowded!" Karen muttered, "Is it always this crowded?"

"No, this isn't bad at all, you should see how it looks like during lunch and dinner period." Hachiman scoffed at her almost childlike expression of marvel.

"The interior is huge, but the number of tables is huge, it feels a little cramped." Erika wasn't quite as impressed, but she still paid quite an amount of attention to her surroundings. "Children are running around too."

"There's absolutely no privacy isn't there?" Karen nodded.

"This is what people call hiding in plain sight." Hachiman sighed, "The number of customers is large enough that it's actually easier for someone to hide, as long as they don't appear too fancy. I think the main problem is your uniforms now."

"We'll keep that in mind."

The shock on Karen and Erika's face when they looked at the menu was astounding to say at the least.

"Uhhh... are you sure this isn't a scam?" Karen whispered carefully.

"Rude, this much is expected for us lower and middle-class plebs." Hachiman chastised her, "I told you the price is cheap, didn't I?"

"But not this cheap!" Erika flailed her hands, "I've been to normal cafe and restaurant before, this is too dubious, it's scary!"

"Kose, your father has a Miso company, surely you understand a simple concept such as economy of scale?" Hachiman almos slammed his face on the table out of frustration.

"Yes, of course, I am." She looked a bit insulted by his provocative statement, "What's that has to do with this?"

"Saizeria food isn't cooked on-site, they're prepared in a factory kitchen somewhere in this city and distributed early in the day to the restaurant chains like this." Hachiman clearly explained to them, "They're heated up and served as needed, but for the most part they will be kept in cold storage on the back."

"Amazing."

"I see because you're saving on labor cost by centralizing food production..." Erika looked around, noticing something. She looks at the place where the customers seem to get a drink on their own. "Self-service drinks? For a place this huge and crowded, the number of waitresses was rather minimal? Is this for cost-saving measure too?"

"It's called a drink bar. You pay once, you get unlimited refills as you see fit."

Hachiman's favorite, needless to say.

"How... how convenient," Erika murmured, "How generous."

"Amazing, free drinks..." Erika wasn't that different.

He almost lost it, right there. But He took a deep breath and calmed himself. They're not idiots, just uninformed. And he felt obliged to tell them, if only as Saize aficionado.

"Saize as franchise symbolize the modern food industry, as the cost of labor exceeds the cost of ingredients, it's easier to make food cheap by minimizing the number of human beings involved."

"Amazing!" Karen brightly smiled and praised him, "Hikigaya-san sure is well learned!"

That's just common sense, girl. But then again, what can one expect? Actually, most commoners don't really care about how it works either. They only care about the fact that the food they eat is cheap, safe, and reasonably delicious.

"Let's order our food and drink immediately as we talk"

"Wait wait wait final question." Karen stopped him, "Is there minimal order?"

They must be terrified by the number of calories. Eh, girls are like that no matter if they're rich or not. But they'd be too embarrassed to order small things.

"There's none, just order as you see fit. Excuse me, we want to make our order." He called a waitress, who immediately approached them with a smile. "I'd like Focaccia with cinnamon sugar, milk gelato with coffee jelly, and drink bar."

That's actually plenty of snacks, but to be honest Hachiman's lunch today wasn't too fulfilling.

"Umm, milk gelato with cherry and raspberry sauce, and drink bar... please?" Karen finally spoke after getting over her initial shock.

"Ice tiramisu and custard pudding, and drink bar." Erika ordered what she wanted. Hachiman noticed that she doesn't seem to be afraid of calories, unlike her friend.

They also took some of the pictures of the food and restaurant interior for documentation.

In the end, none of them talk about journalism and instead of talked about restaurants and the food industry. Hachiman have to admit, once he got past the annoyance and disbelief, their curiosity about common things is rather... fascinating.

And to think that compared to the world-class super-elites like Shinomiya or Shijo, Kino Karen and Kose Erika was rather on down to earth? It's kind of horrifying realization.

Hachiman remembered talking with the previous Student Council President and Miyuki. The previous President wanted Miyuki to join and eventually succeed him precisely because he wanted a common person to introduce common knowledge to the sheltered students of Shuchiin.

Alas, Miyuki getting elected never bring any changes to the students as a whole. As shown by the two girls in front of Hachiman.

In a sense, Hachiman won against Miyuki in that regard. However pointless, it brought a small warmth to the back of his mind.

"Wahhh, in the end, we're getting derailed, I'm sorry!" Karen apologized profusely.

"But at least we can write interesting articles now, thank you Hikigaya-san." Erika smiled widely.

"I don't mind, then I shall leave."

"Wait." Karen hurriedly pulled her phone out, "Do you mind if we exchange contacts?"

"Ah yeah, me too." Erika followed shortly.

Now that? That's shocking. In all Hachiman's sixteen year life, never once a girl would voluntarily exchange contacts with him. Whenever they do, it was because obligation, and even then they looked hesitant.

(No, Momo still doesn't count)

But he knew deep down, he shouldn't be too hopeful. Eventually, they'll get bored with him and forget. Even so, is there anything wrong with indulging in it a little?

To be honest, he was conflicted. On the other hand, he felt that giving LINE contact feels a little too soon, it's against his sensibilities. Make no mistake, he thought giving LINE on the first meeting is normie crap, and that's bad.

It feels like too much a leap, ignoring personal space.

On the other hand, giving an e-mail feels too formal and distant. And he doesn't want to get laughed at for being too much of a goody-two-shoes. Even office workers nowadays use LINE, e-mail is very old fashioned. It's like sending letters in the age of Fax.

Perhaps it was the reason why he got dumped and ignored all the time in middle school. He's not ready into this messaging thing.

It's easy to block or get blocked via e-mail contact, but blocking or getting blocked in LINE carried so much more connotation of hostility compared to e-mail. Not to mention, you can tell if you're being ignored purposely in LINE.

That's going to hurt.

Hachiman was not ready to experience that kind of pain again.

"Is E-mail fine?"

"What? You didn't use LINE?"

He exchanged mail addresses with both girls quickly.

"I use E-mail with Miyuki, I mean President Shirogane too."

That wasn't technically a lie, as Miyuki doesn't have a smartphone, the two of them basically communicated with each other through E-mail and normal phone call instead. Aside from Momo, the other girls that he had on his LINE contacts were his sister Komachi, and Miyuki's sister, Kei. He didn't have to tell these two Mass Media girls that He do, in fact, use LINE.

A lot of people told Miyuki to cave in and get with the times, but so far he still refused to budge. This wasn't really a secret, so Hachiman was fine disclosing it, as many other people in regular contact with Miyuki knew that fact.

"Ahh, I'm using the same method of communication as President. I'm so happy!" Karen yelled out, borderline ecstatic even. Of course, even Erika felt disturbed with that brazen display of fangirlism, "Maybe Kaguya-sama too, only exclusively use E-mail with him!"

"Get a grip Karen, what are you doing?" Erika practically yanked her from the sheer anger. "There's no way the smart and dignified Kaguya-sama can be behind the times like that."

Hachiman was about to say that using e-mail is exactly the kind of traditional Ojou archetype would do. Honestly, could that Ice goddess even use emoticon if it would save her life? But Hachiman don't want to get involved any more than He already are. Besides, He might cause Erika's own fangirl side to erupt saying that. No way.

Let alone being ignored, Hachiman had this nagging feeling that he might get harassed instead. This is some monkey paw's shit. Having these two on his contact list might not be worth bragging.

"...I don't even know what to say back in response." He told them, wryly smiled at the same time. "See you next week."

"Ah, see you next week." The two girls momentarily stopped fighting to say goodbye.

At times like this, a strategic retreat is absolutely mandatory!

Anyway, since tomorrow is Saturday, and he has no club activity, he'll probably go to Chiba and spend weekends there, lazying around the house with his beloved cute little sister. That would be nice.

* * *

**Author Notes: As you can tell, this is an AU of the "The Confession they want is wrong as expected" where Hachiman never joined the Student Council and instead went on his own way trying to survive Shuchiin. This fanfic will focus with ordinary Hachiman interacting with side characters of Kaguya-sama's world and how he will influence them, and how they will influence him.**

**This story originally told in the form of CYOA/Quest in the Site Questionable Questing, with me as Quest Master.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

As always, Hachiman ended up going to Chiba on the weekend, as he brought along a small amount of Tokyo-exclusive souvenirs. Around this time of the week, Hachiman usually just laze around with his sister, and this is what he had in mind as he parked his bike in his home's small front yard.

"I'm home." He opened the door.

He heard rapid sounds of thud, and his cute little sister showed up from the living room. With a big grin, she greeted him. "Welcome back, Onii-chan."

"I'm home, this is for you." Hachiman raised the souvenir bag.

"Thank you."

Hachiman walked upstairs and entered his bedroom.

Still the same as always. With only a few things missing after Hachiman rented an apartment in Tokyo. It's not a small room by any stretch, but it's rather cramped due to several shelves inside.

Then he changed to the more comfortable tracksuit, as true Hikigaya should in their spare time.

"How was it, Komachi? School going as usual?"

"Well, the work in the student council was rather busy, but Komachi is fine with that." Komachi laughed.

Ah yes.

Just like Miyuki, Komachi was elected a student council president in her own school. Student Council works in an ordinary school are far more mundane.

Hachiman wished he was joking, but after getting involved in Miyuki's campaign, it was hilarious beyond pale how different the scale involved was.

(He had to stop Momo from blackmailing a candidate for crying out loud.)

"Do you have issues with studying? I'll help you if that's needed."

"Nah, it's fine." Komachi sighed. "What about you, Onii-chan?"

"Aside from the fact that I started attending electives this week, not much..." Hachiman told her. "Going for Journalism this time."

"Ho? Tell me! Tell me!"

Hachiman summarized the situation at the elective class and what happens afterward. The tales of Kaguya fanatic and Kaguya/Miyuki shipper was something to behold.

"Why is that you always attract weird girls, Onii-chan?"

Though Komachi had learned about his friendship with Momo, they haven't met or interact directly yet. Hachiman probably needed to get back into that sometime, but the schedule three months ahead is going to be hectic.

There's a sports festival and culture festival to consider.

"Yeah, like you're any better." Hachiman bopped her head. "But because they're weird, it's for the better."

"Oho, don't tell me you're interested in them, Onii-chan?" Komachi squeezed her eyes and grinned teasingly.

"Pfftt, as if." Hachiman scoffed in response. "In actuality, them being an oddball is a good thing, that means I wouldn't fall in love with them."

Though that was a rather pessimistic thought even for his standard. Maintaining contact with them alone would be something Hachiman considered good luck. Beggar can't be a chooser.

After all, being a house husband was his aspiration, so Hachiman needs to marry a rich girl in Shuchiin and get pampered. Something Hachiman learned from his 11 times rejection at Middle School in that before you confess to someone, you need to make sure they know that you exist in the first place.

There is something like a friendzone to consider... but is that really important? Being friend-zoned would be a vast improvement over the treatment he experienced before.

"Careful, Onii-chan, Murphy is always watching." She warned him.

"Shut it, you naughty girl!" Hachiman proceeded to tickle her.

After separated, Hachiman's relationship with his sister only getting better overall. His sister is the only family member he honestly can say beloved one. He still respects and cared about his mother, to a degree. But his father was a lost cause.

Hachiman spent the remainder of his days playing games with her as they talked with her about trivial stuff. Kamakura, the ever rebellious lord cat, was unusually affectionate and slept on his lap without care for the world.

Back then, he would try to ignore or lord over Hachiman. Any form of bonding between a human and a cat would be within his discretion. However, since Hachiman decided to go to Shuchiin, Kamakura probably understood that the time Hachiman spend in Chiba is limited, and made use of it for maximum pampering.

Absence makes heart fonder, who'd have thunk?

Maybe that's the reason why Hachiman's mother has grown increasingly attentive these past few months.

But again, his father is a lost cause.

All in all, it's a beautiful weekend, and Hachiman came back refreshed.

CHAPTER 2

Something that Hachiman and Komachi talked about before in Chiba rings somewhat true. When Hachiman told Komachi that he rejected the appointment in the Student Council cabinet, Hachiman ended up with a vast amount of free time.

When she asked if Hachiman didn't just study harder, Hachiman told her how wasteful it was. Hachimanpractically doubled his study time, and he 'only' rose from rank 24 to rank 10.

Hachiman can probably keep this current pace forever, but that's basically his maximum. Going further than this? He'll be burned out. He will have to study at a near-death level to reach anywhere close to Miyuki in grades.

Komachi told Hachiman the only option to fill that hollow, wasted free time is either searching for part-time work or join a club.

Working with his father pays a ton, that's something to consider. Now that he's in Tokyo, he's basically on arms reach. Hachiman doesn't even need to grovel, considering Hachiman's father badgered for it in the first place.

There's also Shuchiin school to consider. They can always use an errand boy. But for that, Hachiman needed connections. If he was part of the student council, that's probably easy, but since he's just an ordinary plebeian now...

And the other option is to join a club.

This is getting increasingly difficult.

Anyway, the school began ordinarily. And before Hachiman realized, the lunchtime came at last. Today, he brought more food than usual, mostly for himself, because last week he ended up snacking a ton. And that's bad for the wallet.

An extra-large DIY battery-powered bento box should do just fine.

(Someday Hachiman know those fratboy level experiments might kill him, that's why he needed jobs, club, or both)

As usual, He spent his lunchtime with Momo and Miyuki. Though Miyuki is from a different class, she always drags him here to join the table.

Miyuki was too much of a pussy to reject.

Miyuki and Momo weren't originally this close, even though they worked closely in the council since the first Semester. It's when Hachiman became Ryuju Momo's close friend that the whole chain of the relationship became a solid triangle.

Their friendships cemented throughout the campaign and election season, more or less. Close enough that no one is willing to look down on Hachiman or Miyuki anymore.

"That's a lot of lunch for one person." Momo licked her lips, "Let me have a taste."

Even though her lunch always top tier, she had always been the type to crave for a new experience. As such, when she looked at Hachiman's super impressive homemade meat bun, she wanted to take a stab and devour them.

Sometimes Hachiman forgot that this volatile creature is a girl. His lunch is going to get messy. Hachiman used his chopsticks to block her own, which makes her irked.

"Move." She said.

"Sorry, can't have free lunch? Wanna trade?"

"Mhh, Shameless." She grinned. "But don't think I'm not aware of the worth of my lunchbox."

"Oh, the Princess can also use bargaining?" Hachiman goaded.

Momo opened her lunch box to show the content. "Half my lunch for yours."

"Half and half." Hachiman smugly crossed his arm.

"Don't be an obstinate bastard."

"Equivalent exchange, bitch."

The small argument between the three of them attracted the attention of other students, who looked somewhat convinced that it might just end in a bloodbath. That is... Hachiman's blood about to be spilled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, what the hell are you doing?" Miyuki squeezes his eyes in disbelief. "You're scaring the rest of the class."

"Making trade deal, duh?" Hachiman slammed the table. "So, what about it?"

"Two thirds!" Momo finally relented, and Hachiman immediately nodded.

"Deal."

Momo came back into her senses and bit her thumb. "Damn it, got scammed again!"

"It's a fair trade, don't call it a scam." Hachiman protested.

Momo gets two out of three meat buns, and Hachiman got half of her lunch. It's quite a complicated menu but balanced nonetheless.

The problem is, Hachiman needed more calories. Momo eats a lot for the standard of Shuchiin girls, but still not as much as growing up, athletic high-school boys.

"Miyuki, trade the shrimps with half the egg rolls and crispy mushroom, yes or no?" Hachiman bluntly asked without shame.

Indeed, the expensive set of shrimps on Ryuju Momo's box would be something that Miyuki has zero chance to eat normally. But in a situation like this, Hachiman needed something that would fill him better.

Needless to say, it was one of Miyuki's favorite food items.

"...You made an offer I cannot refuse, bastard." Miyuki sheds a single tear.

Eh, he'll be fine. Hachiman actually worried so much more about Momo. Would half her lunch and two rich meat buns fit in that girly body? But it's not as if she cares about her image, and she devoured them.

"Whoa, what is this green thing?" She blinked when she cut the meat bun with the chopstick, then ate it. "The inside is way too fresh, and the inside skin is so soft!"

"Duh, it's Hachiman special. The skin is made from two different flour, and the inside filler has herb and vegetables covered in solid fat. The skin is fried, but the content isn't, and then it's steamed to soften the inside while keeping the outer skin tough."

"The fat inside protects the filler from overcooking and losing flavor, the steaming process removed the excess vegetable oil. In other words, its pure taste of minced beef is untainted. While the freshness of greenery in the filler counteracts the melted fat." Miyuki commented. "Isn't that true?"

"What the hell, that's a technique for making high-class dumpling?!" Ryuju gasps. "Uhhh..."

_Alas, poor Ryuju, can you take more calories than usual?_ But of course, Momo can't go back on her words and end up stuffed like a doll, unable to move when she was done.

"Are you alright?" Miyuki asked with concern.

"No, I don't think I'm going to vomit or anything. I just want to rest now." She burped, "Sorry."

Hachiman and Miyuki just laughed their collective asses off on the sight of helpless Yakuza princess, though Miyuki tried to suppress his. At times like this, what difference was there between perfectly normal super-tomboy and a dreaded Shuchiin VIP student?

Some of the students in the class looked amused, but they didn't show it too blatantly. Hachiman hoped that something like this will ease them of even a little bit so that Ryuju can have other friends.

Hachiman looked at the door and saw Karen and Erika's head poking out, watching what transpired. As everyone too focused on Momo, the other people in the class didn't realize their presence.

Hmmm...

Hachiman decided to ignore them. Hachiman wasn't sure if they noticed that he noticed them. Nevertheless, that was not important. They disappeared as soon as Miyuki stood up and walked back to his class.

So it was clear how they were stalking him in the end. No wonder they looked so excited and curious.

* * *

**生徒会のやり方が選ばれなかった**

**The Student Council's Road was not taken**  
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka  
Written by: ZeroXSEED (Unedited)

Based on: "The Council's Road, not taken" in Questionable Questing

* * *

** Chapter 2 - Hachiman wants to do something...**

* * *

At the end of the day, Hachiman ended up more or less alone again. It's kind of annoying, to be honest, so Hachiman decided to walk out around the school, maybe there will be something interesting.

It was strange. Before Hachiman went to Shuchiin, he never had any problem just going home. But maybe it's not that strange after all since at least he had Komachi to look forward to. Part of him also acknowledged that tiring as it may be, socializing with people is one of the many basic needs of human beings.

Somehow, a familiar face showed up.

If someone can be described as 'angelic' in appearance, this person probably fits that description. More than even the local Goddess Shinomiya, at least in Hachiman's own biased opinion. She was visibly taller than the average girls, but also slender with long legs. Her silky black hair extended as far as down her waist.

"Yukinoshita."

"Good to see you, Hikigaya-kun." She smiled. "Still wandering around like a creepy stalker?"

"Excuse me, I resent that remark."

"Forgive me for saying you look like a creepy stalker what with those rotten eyes of yours."

"Someone with the face of an angel can be so foul-mouthed, I'm shocked." He snide back in response.

"Is it foul-mouthed to state the facts?"

"It's improper to twist the facts to fit your extremely biased narrative, yes."

Ah, his lovely neighbor and archnemesis, Yukinoshita Yukino.

Alright, that was an exaggeration. The truth is that both came from Chiba and from outside Shuchiin middle. And to say they don't get along wasn't an exaggeration.

Yukinoshita's parents are of higher status, with her father being representative of Chiba and her family owning the largest construction company in the Prefecture. Of course, in Shuchiin, such a level of wealth and status would be considered the upper average at best.

But in terms of personal talent and beauty, this person might be just the only girl even remotely close to the perfect Goddess, Shinomiya Kaguya herself. Naturally, along with the fact that she gets along with multiple VIP students, elevated her social status far above the standard.

"So what are you doing, wandering afterschool?" She finally asked the actual question.

"I reckon that this semester I have far too much free time." Hachiman told her, "So I'm thinking of looking around the clubs, and if there's nothing, then I'd probably pick a part-time job or two."

For the first Semester, he spent time acclimating with Shuchiin's tempo. He also worked a lot with his father in the Production house as Assistant producer.

"I see, I just happen to be on my way to the Student Council myself." She said as she raises a proposal, "I'm going to establish my own Club."

"Public Service Club, huh?" Hachiman looked at the title. "Have you asked the teachers for this?"

"Of course, it's signed by Principal, and we already have an advisor ready, so it's a matter of formalizing it to the Student Council proper."

"What's the club about?"

"Basically, to help the helpless and to teach men how to fish."

Weird, but that sounds like her, alright.

"If you're interested, feel free to join." She smiled. "You have rotten eyes, but that might be the reason why you can see things other people don't."

Whoa, that's actually a compliment coming from her.

Hachiman scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. What's with this weird atmosphere anyhow?

"Ahem."

Someone coughed to catch his attention, and he saw Maki and Nagisa beside Yukino. No joke. He didn't notice them at all until now.

"Flirting in broad daylight like this is unbecoming of Shuchiin girls, Yukino-san!" Maki warned, though clearly, more like she was jealous.

To be honest, in terms of physical appearance, this girl wasn't really that far behind Yukino and Kaguya. She had that otherworldly beautiful Japanese face and marvelous red ruby eyes.

Especially if she let her hair down like today, instead of wearing the stupid-looking twin-tails.

But her attitude is a little bit...

"Excuse me, Shijo-san. I might just sue you for that statement." Yukino frowned in response.

That feels hurt, but Hachiman agreed. If this constituted as flirting, then anymore closer would be super immoral. Maki was being unreasonable there.

"You two are so rude." Nagisa chastised them. "We're sorry, Hikigaya-san, but we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Nah, don't mind."

"I heard from Karen and Erika, you've helped them escaping their rut. Thank you."

"I didn't do much, though."

"Hehehe." Kashiwagi's smile was rather weird. It was not condescending or demeaning, but not entirely meaningless.

One wondered how the hell someone as kind and innocent as Kashiwagi would get along with them. Perhaps she was wearing a sheep's clothing after all.

"HEY, CAREFUL!"

Hachiman instantly reacted to the shout and saw a soccer ball flying fast toward the three girls' position. Naturally, Hachiman immediately tried to intercept, but his brains worked hard for the best solution even in that split second of the moment.

He was not one to play soccers. Hell, he was hardly one to play a team sport, period. When it comes to sports, Hachiman had always been doing his best on solo play. That's about it.

Even so, he was confident in his own body. He should be fast enough to catch that.

Bad decision.

Shuchiin academy is a school full of genius. Just because you're athletic doesn't mean you're ready for anything. There is always someone stronger... faster... or more skilled. And this striker was an exception.

Many of Shuchiin's sports club members might very well qualify for the Olympics and national tournaments.

A kick from a national-level young striker wasn't something to take lightly. For a tenth of a second... Hachiman felt like his fingers being crushed from the rotation and pressure, and his grip barely impeded the ball.

The ball hit him squarely in the face, and he could even smell the iron.

His nose was bleeding.

Still, he managed to keep his dignity somewhat intact as he landed on his feet completely unshaken with the ball in front of him. But boy... that hurts, and he was a bit disoriented and weak on the knees.

Hachiman saw Yukino froze on the spot. Maki was in complete shock, while Nagisa yelp a little.

"This is lame!" Hachiman muttered as he kicked the ball back to the source, not wanting to get even more attention while pinching his nose with his left hand.

"Sorry about that!" The unsuspecting soccer club member shouted.

Hachiman should find someplace to sit.

"Yukino-san, Makki, please go ahead of me!"

Kashiwagi suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the school building, much to his confusions.

They ended up in Shuchiin infirmary.

The Infirmary of Shuchiin was almost decidedly mundane, much like many of Shuchiin facilities, it was built like an ordinary school but with more features added.

For example, the infirmary is staffed by qualified paramedics and has emergency life support equipment available.

"Sensei, please help!"

"Hmm?" The female Doctor looked at them both.

"Sorry, can I have some crushed ice pack and a towel?" Hachiman smiled wrily and sat down on one of the beds. "I got a nosebleed. Got hit by a soccer ball."

"Ah, alright."

In contrast to the concerned Nagisa, the Doctor was completely calm and almost laid back as she picked a bunch of ice from the freezer and crushed them.

Hachiman put the bagged ice on the bridge of his nose.

"It should be fine now, just keep sitting upright with head slightly lowered for ten to fifteen minutes." The Doctor told him. "Breath through the mouth calmly to reduce pressure."

Actually, Hachiman knew pretty much all of it but stayed quiet.

"Is there additional pain around the nose? Do you have trouble breathing?"

The Doctor flashed her penlight to his eye to check his reaction, just in case there was disorientation and visual impairment.

"No."

His nose wasn't broken, and it seems that only the anterior blood vessels that's got hurt. He couldn't feel or taste any blood in the back of his nose or throat.

"It should be fine, Kashiwagi." He told the girl. "Yukinoshita is waiting for you."

"Is it fine?"

"Well, in most cases... all you need is to sit still and pinch your nose like this. Maybe some ice too. Moving around is going to make it worse."

Hachiman could tell that Nagisa felt increasingly worried and guilty because dragging him to the infirmary isn't helping, if not making it worse.

"Look at the upside, now I can have the ice." Hachiman cheered her up, if only because he feels disturbed. "Go."

"A-alright then." Hachiman backed off, but before she walked away, she said: "Sorry, and thank you for saving us."

Anyone with a sense of human decency would do that, but this being Shuchiin, that might be very well a precious commodity.

"Your girlfriend is so nice, you better treasure her."

"She's not my girlfriend."

And because she was so kind... Kashiwagi would do this for anyone. That much, Hachiman understood. She didn't owe him, and he didn't owe her anything.

Misunderstanding something that simple, he's not that foolish.

The blood more or less stopped after 10 minutes, but he kept the ice on for an additional 10. It felt numb but probably better than pain.

There was no significant bruise. That Hachiman could tell. And even pushing his nose left and right didn't hurt at all.

"Not broken or bruised, thankfully." He noticed looked at the mirror. "Is there anything I need to do, Sensei?"

"Don't do any strenuous activity, three days to a week. Make sure not to blow your nose, and keep it clean. If your pain intensifies after you leave, feel free to use this." The Doctor gave him a small tube of pain relief gel. "But don't use it needlessly if you don't feel it."

"Alright, then. Can I have a disposable mask?"

"Here. Come back here tomorrow so we can check it properly. If it gets worse later today, don't be shy to visit a hospital."

Hachiman wore a mask outside, primarily to protect his nose from dust and other irritants and pollution. Hachiman kept his breathing slow and steady so as not to break the blood clotting.

It seems that Hachiman needed to rest today, after all. Searching for clubs would be tedious, and part-time work is out of the question.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Tuesday when Hachiman found a box of choco balls under his table. He had some guesses about the identity of the person who gave it. Or maybe several people, but who knows. It's unlikely to be Yukinoshita, at least.

Perhaps because it's the first time someone who isn't Komachi or his other family members ever give him a bunch of chocolate, it tasted rather delicious.

And before he knew it, it was Thursday. His nose was more or less healed completely, thanks to him putting extra effort to nurse it and having proper rest.

Hachiman decided to check the clubs.

Shuchiin academy had a myriad of clubs, so many that one might just lose count. However, to make it easier, Hachiman eliminated pretty much all of the team sports and manga appreciation club.

No, really. That particular club is worse than going home club in terms of prestige.

And again, he hated team sports because it forced him to get along with everyone and work at their pace. As a matter of fact, this may affect his view on team-reliant solo sports as well, like Kendo, where the arrangement of players is crucial in tournaments.

So that's what, Soccer is out, Volleyball is out, Rugby is out, basketball is out...

Might as well check the people he already knows.

The first stop is the Journalism club.

Hachiman knocked on the door and greeted by a strangely familiar girl in glasses. She looked meek and fragile, but probably just another persona to hide with.

"My name is Hikigaya Hachiman, class 1-D. I plan to join a club later, so is it fine for me to sightseeing for a while?"

"Ah?! You're the one." She smiles. "I'm the President of Mass Media club. Erika and Karen are out at the moment, while we're working on the Saizeriya Article they made the other day."

"I see."

"Would you mind to recheck if our research looks valid?"

"It's not like I'm some expert of Saizeriya, though."

Well, he actually is. So he read the draft articles, and it looked very well designed. And the information inside was easy to understand and engaging. While not reliant on bombastic clickbait headlines.

So look like they're more than just tabloid rags full of gossips after all.

Of course, he looked at other articles, and THEY are tabloid rags articles. It looked like the Club President did a lot of vetting out the madness of Kino Karen and Kose Erika.

"The hidden gems of Family Restaurant Saizeriya. It's good enough article as it is." Hachiman told her. "I think this one is ready to Publish."

"You think so? Are you interested in Journalism too?"

"Not particularly, but I don't hate it, Senpai."

"I see, you're welcome here anytime you want to visit or join us." She smiled happily.

The next stop is the Public Service Club.

"Your nose healed?" Yukinoshita asks the ever crucial question the very first moment she welcomed him.

"It's not hurt much in the first place."

The only reason Hachiman babysat it was to avoid possible medical complications. However small the chance for things to happen, a nosebleed is a common occurrence with guys in sports that Kashiwagi's reaction was unnaturally naive.

"So what exactly Public Service Club actually do?"

"Feel free to judge by yourself."

Hachiman picked up one of the draft proposals on the table and almost popped out his eyes. Such ambitious proposals are...

And there are multiple of them?

Now, it would be hilarious if Yukino proposes something like this in an ordinary school, but here in Shuchiin? She had all the power and connections.

She might be very well can do it, with Shijo and Kashiwagi behind her...

"Yukinoshita you..." His lips twitched. "You want to kill Miyuki by a heart attack?"

"This cruel and unjust world, it would be nice if we can change it, no?" Yukinoshita's smile was strangely seductive. She really was that confident.

"You even wrote an academic thesis approved by Tokyo U." Hachiman sighed. "Your level of greed is way too high, you know?"

"Is that so? I have the impression that what I have planned isn't impossible."

"Because it's not impossible, it's horrifyingly real."

Yukino's plan is simple, worm her way to the hearts of multiple high profile Shuchiin students and change their outlook. Especially addressing the prevalent classism, economic inequality, and the workplace culture of Japan as a whole.

Given a few years, Yukino might very well raise an entire cult of Shuchiin students. Once they graduate, they will inherit the drive and foundation of their parents...

And this is the short term plan, the long term plan? Even more atrocious.

"You know that if you succeed, some families will have a target drawn on your back, right?"

"You're exaggerating, Hikigaya-kun. This long term plan is nothing but my personal power fantasy."

"You have a weird fetish."

"At least I'm not a perverted lecher like certain someone here."

"Oi. I have to tell you that I'm a perfect gentleman." He jokingly responded to her insult. Though, to be honest, he was somewhat drawn to Yukino's long legs.

Looking at her, she knew that's a possibility that she will suffer for it in the future if the long term plan of her comes into fruition.

However, she's logical that the more likely outcome is that she might graduate before that happened. By that point, the possibility of the movement to fail is more likely than succeeding.

This short term plan of her is more likely to be the one that succeeds, and with the full support of the Shijo family? That was almost certainly guaranteed.

Still, Hachiman doesn't know if he was ready for that sort of gamble.

"Well, my offer to you still stands!" Yukino told him. "But make no mistake, if you join with nothing less than pure intention, I'll kick you out."

"Well. That was an enlightening conversation, please excuse me!" Hachiman told her, dodging the issue.

"Feel free to join us anytime." She sent him off with an unusually friendly expression. "And thank you for helping the three of us last Monday."

"Don't mind."

* * *

**生徒会のやり方が選ばれなかった**

**The Student Council's Road was not taken**  
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka  
Written by: ZeroXSEED (Unedited)

Based on: "The Council's Road, not taken" in Questionable Questing

* * *

** Chapter 3 - Hachiman wants to try...**

* * *

So those two clubs might be a priority pick at the moment. However, that doesn't mean Hachiman was set already. Hachiman wondered if he should continue to visit other clubs.

Hachiman met Momo and Miyuki, finished with Council work. Miyuki said he was going to a part-time job today. However, there was also the matter of Miyuki and Momo having a sleepover at Hachiman's place for study group activities.

Because Miyuki always works part-time, about the only time they're together outside the school would be when they were studying together like that. It was because his family was impoverished for Japanese standards, barely better off than being homeless.

Hachiman doesn't know why. But Miyuki doesn't have a mother at home, and his father is a freeter who jumps from one part-time job to another.

It would be nice to introduce him to a well-paying job so that Miyuki won't have to suffer, but it's not like Hachiman wasn't a jobless kid at the moment. Maybe if he worked harder and got more connections...

But to work is to lose!

"What if you just establish your own club?" Momo asks. "I'll join you, so you have a backing."

"Sure, but what kind of club?"

"Recently... I'm interested in mixed martial arts." She licked her lips, spouting out crazy shit as usual. "I helped the traditional martial arts club every once a while, but it's boring. The girls are too weak, and the technical restriction means I can't really fight the guys all out, that's guaranteed losing on my part, and I hate it."

As expected of Yakuza Princess, she prefers more brutal full-contact sports. As someone whose level of physical strength sits between girls and boys, Ryuju stands in a very awkward place.

"What about something exciting but also not too dangerous?" Hachiman point. "You know, like Survival club or something. You like airsoft, right?"

"That's also nice!"

Survival Game in Japan mostly focuses on simulated warfare with airsoft guns. However, that's just one aspect. Other aspects of Survival Games include terrain exploration and simulated full-contact, so one can have a 'fight' without injuring themselves.

So even someone like Momo can run wild while restrained from doing actual harm.

"But who's going to be the President?"

"You, duh. I'm a member of the Student Council now, so I can't be the president!"

Ah.

Hachiman decided to pick one last gamble on the week and visit the Archery club on Friday. As expected, the Kyuudo club to have a large plot and a building to themselves.

The building was pretty old, this Kyuudo complex can be dated back all the way to 1948, so its origin can be traced to post-war rebuilding.

Hachiman sat down, seiza-style. When He arrived there, he was greeted by a bald but very handsome kyudo instructor. Judging from his appearance, he probably wasn't older than 25. He looked like the type that's popular with more orthodox-minded schoolgirls too.

"You have good posture, Hikigaya-kun." He praises him for whatever reason.

"Domo." Hachiman politely nodded.

He blinked. "So, you're interested in Kyuudo in particular?"

"To be honest, not particularly so..." Hachiman answered truthfully. "I was an external student and faced difficulties catching up and fitting in in my first Semester. However, now that I settled in, I have a surprisingly large amount of free time."

"I see." The instructor smiled gently. "I really like that you're being honest."

As someone who had not much forte, being honest probably the least Hachiman can do in this situation. Instead, He tried to look at him and see if he's judging Hachiman for it.

He didn't, his eyes so serene and clear, like that of flowing water. It's the eyes of someone who simply cannot be lied to.

"Are you nervous and agitated?" He asked again. "Are you trying to fill that emptiness in your heart with Kyudo."

"I'm addicted." Hachimansmile in defeat. "And I want to see if Kyudo has the cure."

"Excellent." He claps his hands, excited. Slowly, he pushes his hands on the floor as he stood up. "Come on, we need to have you change into Hakama first."

Hachiman changed into traditional Kyudo Hakama, which had a black bottom and white top.

"...should I expose my shoulder?"

"We're not at that stage yet."

"Ah." Hachiman nodded. "It might take months until I start shooting for real."

"Not necessarily, I'm well aware of the circumstances surrounding Shuchiin students." The instructor says. "You see, every Shuchiin students are a genius of some sort, and you're not an exception."

Really?

"People might say, if everyone is a genius, then no one is... but I don't believe that's the case." He laughed. "It meant the degree of advancement is always faster than average, but the variance in learning speed is even greater between individuals."

"In other words, we're not going to set any specific time for the student to advance on the next step. Rather, we do it as soon as the student prove they're ready to advance."

"I see."

Honestly, Hachiman was doubtful that he could advance that fast.

The instructor gave Hachiman a strange stick with a rubber tied to it. Hachiman recognized it as a training bow.

"Here, try to pull as far as you can with this pose." The instructor makes a shooting pose while holding the same item as Hachiman had.

Hachiman stretched it until his right arm folded while his left hand stretched out. It took some effort, but not unreasonably so.

"You have the arms strength needed." The instructor says. "Let's move the next step."

"Already?" Hachiman was actually surprised.

"Most beginner can't pull that rubber bow into full draw position." He smiles widely. "They take a few weeks of repeating the same movement until they can build enough strength."

Ah, the advantage of athleticism.

"We'll move to shaho-hassetsu." Thus read as eight stages of shooting. "Not much to remember, but a lot to master. This is the core of Kyudo, as long as you master this, the rest will be so much easier."

The first step... is to take a few careful steps forward until you're in shooting position. And then spread your legs with your feet forming roughly 60 degrees outward. This step is known as Ashibumi.

The second step is the straightening of the torso, and its recommended to take a breath in. This step is called Dozukuri.

The third part is to ready the bow in front of you while regulating breathing pace. This part is known as Yugamae. And so on.

Hachiman followed all the eight-step awkwardly and stiffly, and Hachiman made a lot of mistakes. Nevertheless, the instructor patiently taught him the proper way, again, again and again.

And before Hachiman knew it, one hour had passed.

"This is what we call hammering the basic." The instructor stopped him. "We should stop today, or else you'll strain your muscles."

It's true that while Hachima warmed up before the practice, his right shoulder was a bit sore. And so Hachiman changes back into his uniform.

"How's your experience?"

"Complicated!" Hachiman answered him. "It seemed so simple-looking, yet so profoundly difficult to do."

"But the fact that you skip several weeks of training is good." The instructor praised Hachiman. "It means you don't need to build a stronger foundation, but rather you need to build the support pillars forming the shape of Kyudo."

...

"Kyudo, huh?" Miyuki remarked when the three stooges sat around the table, studying. "Shinomiya didn't attend today because she's active in the council."

So that's why she's not present during Hachiman's visit.

"In my opinion, you shouldn' join Kyudo." Momo lightly remarked. "It's an extremely asymmetrical sport, your body evolved with it. Once you start, this process will continue until you stop. The longer you continue, the more drastic it changes."

For someone obsessed with balanced development, Ryuju Momo seemed to find that Kyudo's very methodical approach unfitting, unlike other martial arts or track and field.

So if Hachiman joined the Kyudo club, it's likely that Momo won't follow and join as well.

"What about you, Shirogane? Are you sure you can't join any club at all?" She asked him.

"Well, no... I need to work after all." Miyuki sighed.

_All that's hard work... and for what, 100K yen a month? It's not small money for average high school students, but compared to time invested? Surely he can earn more?_

"Well, unless I find something more interesting... I gotta stick to my guns." Momo also confirms. "None of the current existing clubs worth joining for me."

Hmm, so it was like that.

"Let's create the Survival game club." Hachiman decided. "As for paperwork, that's easily done. The problem is equipment, airsoft equipment is expensive unless you go for the bottom rung."

"Leave that to me. I have surplus extra stuff that I don't know what to do with." Ryuju says, grinning. "I have a lot of toys that I bought in bulk when I was... like, fourteen. They should be more than enough for noobs, so I'm going to donate it for the club to use."

"Sounds expensive, are you alright with that." Miyuki furrows his eyebrows.

"Nah, they're like 15-20K Yen at most." Momo waved her hands, her face looked rather tired. "Actually, I'm thinking of getting rid of them eventually since they need battery replacement anyway, but dumping them in the trash feel like a waste."

Makes sense, 20K might seems cheap for what they are, but still no peanuts even for a rich girl.

"So, we need a battery replacement for them." Hachiman wrote in a separate note, "I'll be sure to finish the club creation proposal this week. Meanwhile, we also need to recruit members."

"Leave that to me." Momo grinned manically.

"For the record, no extortion and blackmail, okay?" Hachiman asked her. "I want strictly voluntary members."

She widened her eyes in surprise, figures she will think of that.

"I'll help you to finish that proposal then." Miyuki offered. "I have not much to do this weekend. Besides, you should hurry. We only have a week left until the Shuchiin sports festival."

"Ah, crap!" Hachiman muttered in response.

Hachiman just remembered now that in the fourth week of October, there will be a sports festival. Meaning, next week, he will be busy preparing for class and schoolwide events.

"What's the minimum memberships for club creation again? Three?" Momo asked.

"Three is minimum, as long as you have three members, you can be assigned a small budget. The larger the memberships, the easier to justify a larger budget." Miyuki explained. "So club funding will be a little difficult on you at the start. This isn't something I can help with."

"Oh, but there is something you can help." Momo smiled.

Miyuki twitched and back away. "I don't like that smile."

"You can register as our ghost member." Momo proposed. "We can use the Athletic festival as a chance to advertise our club. If we get additional members right away, you can use student council duty as an excuse to quit."

Miyuki remained skeptical even then. "Is survival game even that marketable?"

"You'd be surprised." She winked.

Ryuju Momo looked unusually confident, and Hachiman that while her mindset can be freaky, she was not dumb and knew what she's doing. Especially if she actually put any thought and energy into it.

Plus, she looked so happy, happier than Hachiman usually saw her, so Hachiman can't really take back his words. Hachiman looked at Miyuki pleadingly, and he also looked disturbed by Momo's unusual excitement. If this continues, then the study group will be a total mess.

"Alright, alright, I'll be placeholder members until you get more. But like I said, I can't really stay active in the club." Miyuki relented and agreed. "Now, let's focus on our study, shall we?"

Hachiman wondered if he can help Miyuki in some way. He really needs a well-paying job more than Hachiman does.

In terms of the ability to comprehend lessons, Miyuki actually lags behind you and Ryuju. As such, he always needs to put 108% in effort and invest much of his free time studying.

Studying alone for him might be a more efficient use of time. But even Miyuki can hit a snag, that would be where Hachiman and Momo's presence can be handy.

Something like this must be done more often, since without someone to ask and clarify, Miyuki always brute force through problems. And it's kind of worrying. His pride was insurmountable, and Hachiman and Momo were one of the very few people Miyuki willing to show weakness to.

"Now that's a quality study." He shouts.

Miyuki, Hachiman, and Momo slapped the workbook hard when the three finished their homework.

He looked at the clock on the wall. "And it's only 10.30 PM, record time I'd say."

Miyuki ordinarily studied until midnight and then sleeps for what, like four hours?

"At this rate, you might be better off moving in!" The yakuza princess remarked.

"Speaking of which, I heard the rumors!" Momo mumbled. "So, you finally scored with Shinomiya?"

"Pffft, what are you even talking about?" Miyuki cackled maniacally.

"Yeah, it's pervasive gossips that spread ever since the election!" Hachiman confirmed. "The mass media club even snoop on me."

"Freaking vultures, should I get rid of them?" Momo asked lightly, with an annoyed face.

"Nah, I can handle them..." Hachiman told her. "Besides, at least they're being honest."

"Well, I guess if she asks me out, I might just consider it." He haughtily replies... while averting his eye away.

"Bullshit." Momo and Hachiman both called out his bluff.

"What do you mean 'bullshit' exactly?"

"Coming from someone who looks like he would cry when Shinomiya didn't pay attention to him, that's the least convincing part of this argument." Momo harshly pointed out.

As Hachiman understood, the main reason Miyuki started to study really, really hard was because he wanted to build a strong image. Strong enough to face Shinomiya Kaguya. And around the same time, he started working with the student council with Momo working as Treasurer, and Miyuki as General Affairs.

Considering Hachiman started to change a month ago...

Ryuju Momo singlehandedly turned two meek boys into real men that can stand up to Shuchiin's elites.

_Okay, that sounded lewd._

"Ah yeah, that's true." Hachiman nodded.

"You two just don't understand." Miyuki hissed. "I just want my existence to be acknowledged, that's all."

"If it's about existence, I'm pretty sure Shinomiya acknowledge you both ever since that day."

"That's not enough." Miyuki leaves the living room. "I'm going to wash my face."

"Stubborn piece of shit!" Ryuju swore quietly.

"Well, you know how Miyuki is." Hachiman shrugged.

More than just being acknowledged, Miyuki wanted Shinomiya to see him as an equal or even superior existence, and that's why he will bull through any obstacles in front of him.

Hachiman wondered if he should stop him from this futile struggle. But maybe it's for the best for him to have a goal to reach, no matter how impossible.

Dream betrays many, but hard works betray none. Someday, his hard work will surely pay him off.


End file.
